1893 Duryea

Although different people were working on the idea, it's generally accepted that the Duryea brothers built the first car in America. The brothers built a two stroke engine and attached it to a carriage in 1893 but the second car with a newly developed four stroke engine assured their place in history by winning a Nov. 2 1895 race from Chicago to Evanston and back at an average speed of 5.1 mph.  This was the first auto race in the USA and only the second one in the world. This success led to the founding of the Duryea Wagon Company. Bickering between the brothers forced it into bankrupcy after twelve cars were built.